Aaron Brooks reaches buyout with Kings, could sign with Rockets?

The Kings completed a contract buy out with guard Aaron Brooks on Friday, a move that makes him eligible for the playoffs should he sign with another team before the end of the regular season.

"I'd like to thank the great city of Sacramento, the Sacramento Kings organization, coaching staff and most of all the fans that supported this leg of my journey," Brooks wrote on Twitter Friday. "I enjoyed my time with the Kings and wish them success in the future."

Brooks, 28, signed a two-year contract worth $6.6 million with the Kings last summer, which included a player option for 2013-14. He averaged 8.0 points and 2.3 assists in 46 appearances for Sacramento, shifting in and out of the starting lineup as coach Keith Smart eventually turned the job over to Isaiah Thomas. Brooks did not play in eight of Sacramento's 12 games in February and the Kings acquired guard Toney Douglas from the Rockets in a trade deadline move that sent 2012 No. 5 pick Thomas Robinson to Houston, further crowding a backcourt rotation that also includes Jimmer Fredette, Tyreke Evans and Marcus Thornton.

Yahoo Sports reports that the Rockets and Brooks are "discussing a deal" that could return the undersized point guard to Houston, where he spent the first three-plus seasons of his NBA career after being selected in the first round of the 2007 draft. The Rockets are currently the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference with a record of 31-28, two games up on the Lakers. Brooks was traded by the Rockets to the Suns for Goran Dragic in 2011. Brooks holds career averages of 11.8 points, 3.5 assists and 1.8 rebounds.

The Kings are tied with the Hornets for the worst record in the Western Conference at 20-39. The franchise is also facing the possibility of relocation to Seattle, although Mayor Kevin Johnson announced his city's plans for keeping the team in Sacramento during a speech on Thursday.